Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Romans Part 50

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - 7 SYMBOLS

 7 SYMBOLS

It states in 2^nd Timothy that: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (3:16). It does not state that all scripture should be taken literally and, in fact, much of it should not be taken just in its literal sense. It must, however, be considered as allegorical or symbolic in nature. As early as the 2^nd century AD, Clement of Alexandria is reported to have said that the sacred text has more than one meaning and, although there was a literal sense, there are other meanings that one must discover as well*. In that way, there are many symbolic meanings in the Bible as well as a number of symbols used regarding the Bible itself. 

The Bible (i.e.: the Word of God) is described as “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). It is referred to as a means to guide us and to illuminate our ways to prevent us from becoming lost in this world.

The Bible also reports that God said: “Is not My word like a fire?” (Jeremiah 23:29). It will reveal and consume those aspects of one’s life which are not in keeping with God’s will, and in the end may do the same with those people who consistently persist in disobeying the Lord.

In the same passage, God has said that His Word was “like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces” (Jeremiah 23:29). It is the means by which false prophecy and false prophets may be revealed and discredited, especially to those familiar with the Word.

Hebrews tells us that: “…the [W]ord of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit…and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Not only is it an instrument that can cut to the spiritual depths of one’s being, but it is also a weapon to be used in confrontation with an opponent, as Jesus demonstrated when confronted by Satan. He answered time and again with the words: “It is written” (Matthew 4:4,6,7,10).

The Bible is reported to be like a mirror. James 1:23-24 puts it this way: “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.” We can end up seeing ourselves as we really are.

Also, the Bible is referred to as a diet. “[A]s newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). Paul went on to say that: “I fed you with milk and not with solid food…” (1 Corinthians 3:2). And he continues with “solid food belongs to those who are of full age, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:14)

And again, the Bible is referred to as the seed of life. You have “been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever” (1 Peter 1:23). James states that: “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.” (James 1:18)

As a light and lamp, a fire, a hammer, a sword, a mirror, a diet and as a seed; these are a number of ways in which symbols are used to describe the function of the Bible and the ways in which “It is written” in the Bible. As a result, it does give one something to think about.

*The Story of Christianity by Justo L. Gonzalez pg. 73   

 

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Romans Part 49

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - THE OTHER JOSEPH

 THE OTHER JOSEPH

On occasion, a person comes into our lives for only a short time and then disappears not to be heard from again. Such people often make a profound impact on our lives and sometimes on history even though they are with us for such a brief moment.

This was the case in the events surrounding the crucifixion of Christ and the presence of Joseph of Arimathea. There appears to be no mention of him in any gospel prior to his appearance at time of the crucifixion. He was a “rich man” (Matthew 27:57) and also “a prominent council member” (Mark 15:43) who had become “a disciple of Jesus” (Matthew 27:57). Such a person would have known Caiaphas, Annus, and even Pilate, and would have been in a position to request of Pilate the body of Jesus after His death. Such an action would, however, put him in a dangerous position with his former friends. He may have been at the trial of Jesus, even at the crucifixion, and now he was risking everything for the beliefs that he had come to accept.

Some maintain that he did what he did out of respect of the Jewish law; that burial of a deceased should take place before sundown. This, however, seems unlikely because there is no mention of any similar action having taken place with regard to the others crucified alongside Jesus. 

So, if he did this all because he was in reality a follower of Jesus, it indicates to what length and degree he would go to show his devotion to the Saviour. He would have given up his heritage, his companions, probably his wealth and status, and any privileged position he would have had just to receive the body of Jesus and help take Him down from the cross. It begs the question as to whether one today would be as willing to confront the authorities and risk so much for the love of Christ.

After this, Joseph disappears from the Biblical record never to be heard from again in the pages of Scripture. But is that really the end of the story? There are many legends that are present concerning Joseph of Arimathea and as with many legends, there may be sometimes an element of truth.*

It has been reported that Joseph was an uncle of Mary and therefore a great-uncle of Jesus and that, as a youth, Jesus went with Joseph to Britannia, now Great Britain (specifically England), where they visited places such as St. Just in Roseland and St. Michael’s Mount. This happened because Joseph evidently was a merchant who did trade in this area.

In fact, it is believed that Joseph founded Glastonbury Abbey in what is now Glastonbury, Somerset, England. It is said that he converted thousands to Christianity including Ethelbert, the local king. It is also reported that he took the Holy Grail to Britannia and hid it in a well at Glastonbury; a well now called the Chalice Well. In addition, it is speculated that he stuck his pilgrim’s staff into the ground at Glastonbury and that this staff developed into the Glastonbury Thorn**, a type of hawthorn which, unlike ordinary hawthorns, flowers twice a year, around Christmas and Easter. Apparently attempts to grow this hawthorn elsewhere have been unsuccessful.

These legends may be just that - legends, but who knows, perhaps there might be some truth hidden there as well. We will probably never know for sure; but at the very least, they can make the known truth more interesting.

Regardless of the above, we know that Joseph must have given up a lot to express his faith in and relationship to Jesus. Wondering whether we would be willing and able to do the same should give us all something to think about.

*From the Passion a BBC One article on bbc.co.uk

**Glastonbury Thorn from wikipedia.org

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Romans Part 48

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - MYSTERY

 

MYSTERY

In 1st Corinthians 15, Paul wrote these words:

Behold, I tell you a mystery:

We shall not all sleep,

but we shall all be changed-

 (1 Corinthians 15:51)

From the number of books sold, most people are intrigued by, and enjoy reading about, a mystery. But also, people wish for that mystery to be concluded in a reasonable and logical manner. After all, does not science and logic indicate that any unexplained event (i.e.: mystery) has either a scientific or logical conclusion.

There is really no book that contains more mystery than the Bible. There certainly is that element through all of scripture and probably nowhere more than in the coming of God to this world in the form of Christ. There are many reasons given in the Bible but even with these there remains a question in the minds of many; is it all really true?

Did God really come to earth in human form to reconcile Himself with mankind and did He really go to the cross, dying in our place and taking upon Himself the sin of all humanity in the process? If you consider it from a logical point of view, it is hard to understand why the creator of this vast universe would do this for peons such as ourselves. Did He really die on that cross, was He really buried in a borrowed tomb and did He really emerge from that tomb again on the third day, alive but changed as the Bible states?

It tends to go against human logic to conceive that the above really happened as the Bible relates, but therein is the mystery. Logic tries to convince us that God would not do what the Bible states happened, and many people refuse to accept who Christ really was, or that He did go to the cross, actually die there and was afterward buried only to be resurrected again on the third day. And because it goes against human reasoning and logic, many people, especially those whose immediate needs are met by society, reject the Biblical narrative and the gospel. Others, those whose needs are not met at present, are more willing to believe completely or reject even more fully.

The Bible states that Christ was crucified for our sin, was buried and rose again on the third day to become the firstborn of the dead and to give to those who truly believe in Him  everlasting life. Not logical from a human point of view and not scientific either, but did it happen? Those innumerable reports of near death experiences that people relate are not really scientific either but exist and are too numerous to ignore. I guess that’s the reason why faith is so important and why the Bible states that:

…the just shall live by faith…

…[for] without faith it is impossible to please Him…

(Hebrews 10:38 & 11:6)

The Bible also states that we were given “infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3), so science may yet have something to say about what, for many, remains a mystery.

Paul stated that he and the apostles preached “…Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness” (1 Corinthians 1:23). And still this event remains to many, either a stumbling block or foolishness. It remains a mystery; outside the realm of human logic and awareness, an event many are unable to accept even by faith. But we have to be willing to accept that perhaps we don’t have all the answers yet either by logic or science. Shakespeare may have put it best when he suggested that human knowledge was limited with Hamlet’s statement that:

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,

      Than are dreamt of in your philosophy*

In many ways, the events Christians recall this time of year are a mystery; as is:

• the mystery of His will (Ephesians 1:9)
• the mystery of the gospel (Ephesians 6:19)
• the mystery of God (Colossians 2:2) 

As well as many others.

The Bible is a book full of mystery and the need for faith. 

It is truly something we need to think seriously about.    

   

*Hamlet, Act 1.5. 165-6

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Romans Part 47

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - THE DREAM

 

THE DREAM

By not looking carefully at all aspects of the Biblical stories, it may be easy to miss the entire proper interpretation of what is being said in the narrative. For instance, there is, in the gospel of Matthew, this statement:

While he [Pilate] was sitting on the judgement seat, his wife sent to him, saying, 

“Have nothing to do with that just Man, 

for I have suffered many things today 

in a dream because of Him”

(Matthew 27:19)  

It was apparently early in the morning, after the trial of Jesus at the house of Caiaphas, (a trial which was apparently illegal under Jewish law) when the Jewish leaders took Jesus to meet with Pilate. To have the governor of Judea aware and ready to meet with the delegation of Jewish leaders at that hour would likely have required some preliminary preparation. This would indicate that what was being done had, to some extent at least, been prearranged; something which Caiaphas, who had been appointed by the Governor, could have done.

Pilate was apparently known to be a coarse and uncultured man, obstinate and somewhat cruel, not known to put the interests of others ahead of his own. But his wife was reported to be the granddaughter of Augustus Caesar, and therefore, would have had considerable influence over him. So, when Pilate met the Jewish delegation, (as reported in the gospel of John chapter 18) and went through the questioning of Jesus, he proceeded to undertake a form of interrogation not in keeping with the usual Roman legal system. This might have just been the end of the matter had not Matthew related that Pilate received a note “while on the judgement seat” (Matthew 27:19) relating the dream that his wife had. 

If you follow the story, this note concerning the dream probably altered to some extent the remainder of Pilate’s interaction with Jesus, even though the ultimate outcome remained the same. But why would the wife of the Procurator of Judea even have a dream about Christ? She obviously knew of Him but was she also somewhat of a follower? After all, Joanna was the wife of Chuza, manager of the household of Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, and she was one of the women who attended Christ and was at Christ’s tomb.

…and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, 

and Suzanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance. 

(Luke 8:3)

It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and the other women with them, 

who told these things to the apostles.

(Luke 24:10)

Joanna was a follower of Christ in spite of her husband’s position; was Claudia, Pilate’s wife also a secret admirer? Was it because of something they had heard, or been told, or had seen that resulted in this and so caused Joanna to provide for Jesus and Claudia to have such a dream? Somehow a seed had been planted which caused these women to take actions that history has not forgotten and which to some extent may have influenced the outcome of events. Were there other seeds planted in others at that time that history has not recalled?

A small seed planted can have far reaching effects; a small event may have long lasting consequences.

In the whole story of Christ’s passion and crucifixion there are many small details and instances which we should all take the time to think seriously about.